The Angel and the Rogue
by xxFireAndIce
Summary: Juliette still feels pain over the loss of Elliot, and shuts others out of her world. However, on a trip to Mourningwood to gain her next allies, she meets the devilish Ben Finn, and her stubbornness may not be enough to keep him out. Ben Finn x Princess
1. Chapter 1 - The Mourningwood Fort

**So I had the idea of writing a Ben Finn fanfic for the longest time. I find it odd how I played the game probably a million-bajillion times and only recently started to like Ben. I always shipped him and Page, but she's a bitch. She doesn't deserve Ben ;)**

**Another note: THIS IS NOT THE SAME JULIETTE FROM "THE MASQUERADE"! When I played the game, I wanted to give the character a name other than Princess/Hero/Queen. The only name I could think of that was sorta royal, but not common, and fit her was Juliette. However, now when I come up with a fanfic, I can't imagine her name being anything other than Juliette (That's how long I've played the game :P)**

**Unfortunately, neither Fable or Ben Finn belong to me :'( All credit goes to Lionhead Studios. The only I say that sorta belongs to me is Juliette. Lionhead created her character, but her feelings and personality belong to me! Okay, this is like the biggest author note ever, but please read, favorite, follow, and review! Thank you!**

Stepping out of the dim, damp cave into a bright, humid world made Juliette's eyes burn. No doubt she was happy to return from the depths of the unknown, but her quick relief changed to wanting to find a cool, shady area.

Walter sighed with contentment beside her, while Absalom immediately began to explore this new area. Juliette took the time to examine her surroundings. Thick willow trees hung sadly, their wispy leaves blocking out some of the sun. The ground wasn't solid; it was marshy and gooey mud. There didn't appear to be any source of water, but numerous puddles of water littered the landscape.

"Where are we?" She asked Walter curiously.

"We've arrived into another hell." He responded. "This swamp is called Mourningwood. I hope the people we're looking for are still alive."

Hmm, Mourningwood. . . Juliette thought. The name was definitely familiar, but she couldn't remember where she'd heard it. There was an absolute connection though with it and the castle. Besides that, Walter's last comment brought goosebumps to her skin.

"Why wouldn't they be?" Juliette asked, puzzled.

"Because, come nightfall, this is one of the most dangerous places in Albion." Walter continued. "We'll have to hurry."

He itched his skin irritably. "Well, I don't know about dangerous, but I'm starting to get a rash, bloody swamp!"

Juliette pondered on the familiar Mourningwood name as they continued, careful not to get stuck in the bog. She glanced over at Walter, who was smiling at her.

"What?" She asked him.

"You did amazing back in that cave." He praised. "Best hobbe-bashing I've seen in a while!" Walter gave her a pat on the back.

"Couldn't have done it without Albion's best soldier!" Juliette laughed.

"I didn't have to hardly do anything. You completely massacred them! It was just like fighting by your father's side. I'd forgotten what it was like, standing next to a Hero. You're so much like him."

She let out another laugh. "How?"

"Sparrow was a boy raised in a gypsy camp who suddenly turns out to be a pretty skilled and unmerciful fighter. Then, to everyone's surprise, he becomes king! Here you are, his daughter, a princess who for her whole eighteen years lived in a castle. Now you dress and fight like a mercenary, talk like a sailor, and can handle a weapon better than a blacksmith can handle hot iron. You've made me proud, girl."

Juliette blushed at his compliment and silently thanked him. Still though, she wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Walter. He trained her in combat for so many years when Sparrow died before he could himself. Her mother had never even touched a sword hilt in her life. Logan had been in the middle of his own training, and the only candidate left Sparrow approved of was his old friend Walter, once one of the most powerful soldiers in the Albion army.

They continued to wade through the marshes when Albion army flags began to pop up on the side of the road. Ahead stood what appeared to be the ruins of what was once a cathedral. Walter gave a sigh of relief.

"That must be the place up ahead! What I wouldn't give for a bowl of soup and a hot bath." He said dreamily.

Suddenly, a thought clicked in Juliette's head. Mourningwood! It was familiar because Logan had set up a brigade here a few months back. That would explain all of the flags that lined the messy roads. She remembered family members of soldiers sent to fight here arguing that the base be moved somewhere else where their loved ones wouldn't have to have such a great stake at their lives.

The two approached the doors. A boy appeared from above, aiming a rifle at them.

"Cease your movement!" He ordered. "Be you men, or be you hollow men?"

Juliette tried to stifle a snort. Hollow men? Fabled skeletons who wrecked havoc on those unfortunate enough to stumble upon them? The balcony the young boy was on was very high, but surely enough he was close enough to realize that the two were all flesh.

"Have you gone daft, boy?" Walter called back. "Open up the doors!"

The boy squinted, an expression on his face like he recognized them from some lost text. "Sir Walter?" He asked. "Is that you?"

"The very same! Now, are you going to let us in or what?"

The soldier snapped out of his trance and stammered, "Right, yes, 'course!" He turned around and yelled into the torn down cathedral, "Open the gates! Tell Major Swift: Walter's here!"

The wooden doors opened with a groan. Soldiers inside were running amuck to look as orderly as possible. Walter confidently walked inside, greetings thrown at his feet like commoners before their monarch - one who wasn't tyrannical.

"Welcome Sir Walter!"

"What an honor it is to meet you, Sir Walter!"

"Can I get you something, Sir?"

Walter nodded at the ecstatic men with a grin. Their delighted faces changed - against Juliette's wishes - to awe as Juliette walked in with Absalom at her side. She knew it must've been a long time since they'd seen a woman, though her female mercenary attire wasn't exactly appealing, but they politely kept their poseur, greeting her as well.

Ahead of her, Walter had been approached by two men dressed differently than the Mourningwood soldiers, one dressed undoubtedly like a major. His hair was black and white, and he had to most impressive moustache Juliette had ever seen; not even the nobles at the castle could live up to the major's.

Walter took the man's hand in a firm handshake. "There he is! The one and only, Major Swift!"

The major laughed at Walter's remark. "Walter, it's good to see you, old fellow! What the blazes are you doing here?"

"We came looking for you!" Walter bellowed. "Had a little bit of roughing up along the way, but I have a proposition I would like to talk to you and your men about."

The second man spoke up. "You came all this way to 'proposition' us? And thought you were here to save us from the legions of the damned!"

The second man was taller than Juliette, which was a first. Not many people besides Walter were taller than her. Him, and someone else. . .

She quickly shook the memory from her head of that one man. Now was not the time to be thinking about it! Besides, this soldier was much different from him. His hair was sandy blonde and his eyes were bright blue, and even though he had an excellent poker face, she could see a mischievous glint deep within them.

Walter gave the boy a grin. "Ben Finn! It's good to see you, lad! Gotten taller a bit, haven't you?" He gave him a rough slap on the shoulder. "Anyway, I take it the legends about this place are true, then?"

"I'll say!" The major said. "You've never seen so many hollow men in one place! We've been stationed here for weeks, trying to eradicate them."

With a sad look on his face, Swift gestured over one of the walls, where a soldier was digging. Three tombstones sat upon the piles of dirt.

"Mainly, it's us getting eradicated." Swift explained. "We lost some good men last night, including Lieutenant Simmons. And the buggers will be back tonight!"

"Logan just loves to send you on the best assignments, doesn't he?" Walter sighed sadly. "That's part of what we wanted to talk to you about."

At the word 'we', Swift glanced over at Juliette, who'd stayed on the outside of the group.

"Who is she?" Swift asked Walter.

Walter chuckled, then gestured for Juliette to come over. "I apologize, my manners! This is Juliette, my apprentice for the past few years."

Some sort of emotion crossed the two's faces. She knew they recognized her name, and wasn't surprised when they gapped with awe and surprise.

"Juliette? The. . ?" Swift stuttered.

"Princess, yes." Walter finished for him. "I'll explain later."

"Well now, where are _my _manners?" The major asked himself, lending his hand to Juliette. "It's very nice to meet you, my princess. Just call me Swift."

She took his hand in a handshake, saying "Please, sir, call me Juliette."

"Fair enough." Swift replied with a smile. "Captain Finn will show you to the mortar. We could use a body up there. Besides, best to learn and prepare yourself for tonight."

Ben gave Juliette a smirk as he shook her hand as well. "Captain Finn, m'lady."

"Juliette, please, Captain."

Walter placed a hand on her shoulder. "You'll probably be stuck by that mortar all night." He told her. "Take some time to walk around and talk to the men. It never hurts to know who's got your back."

He let her go, and as she walked away, she saw him take Ben's shoulder much more firmly and whisper in his ear, "Try anything, boy, and I swear you won't see the light of day again."

Despite Walter's aggressive move, Ben laughed and replied. "Don't worry, Wally, I won't lay a finger on her!"

_Great, a womanizer! _Juliette thought irritably. Bad enough the soldier's stares were nonstop, but the man who was supposed to aid her was the worst.

Eventually, Ben caught up with her, chuckling. "Ah, Wally! Proud old sod! Such a surprise to see him turn up today, even more surprising to see you as well. All of the men are looking at you like you're gold amongst pebbles and gravel."

Ben had obviously not even thought about Walter's warning. How long had Juliette known him? Ten minutes at the most? He was already attempting to woo her like a drunkard flirting with a barmaid!

"Don't act like I didn't hear Walter's remark back there." Juliette told him. "Besides, I don't have time for worthless flirting."

"Whoever said I was trying to flirt?" Ben asked her innocently. "I'm just stating the facts! Besides, how could you blame them?"

Juliette gave a sarcastic laugh. "I'd hate to break it to you, Captain Finn, but you just used your own statement against yourself."

Ben chuckled in return. "You really are a lady, aren't you? We've only just met and you are already being rude!"

"I trust Walter more than anyone, Captain. If he warned you like that, I'm more than liable to keep that warning in my defense."

Thankfully, Ben switched to a different subject, but not any less irritating. "Hold on, if Swift gets the honor of being called 'Swift' by you, shouldn't I have the privilege of being called 'Ben' instead of 'Captain'?"

Juliette sighed. "If I call you Ben, will you please leave me alone for the time being?"

"I guess I could agree to that."

"Okay then, _Ben."_ Juliette retorted as if his name alone was a nuisance. "If you don't mind, I'm going to take Walter's advice and talk to some of the men."

"Fine by me." He replied. "But don't be surprised if they eye you like beggars at a feast. Meet me up on the wall when you're ready. I'll introduce you to Private Jammy, so called because he's the luckiest sod in the fort. See you again soon, princess."

Ben quickly turned around, heading up the stairs to the wall, and leaving Juliette groaning with annoyance at the word "princess."


	2. Chapter 2 - The Hollow Legion

**Oh my sweet Jesus, this chapter is soooo long! 18 pages on the document! But I got three lovely reviews, and that really made me happy, so it put me in a writing mood (: Especially because this story has only been posted for like a day!**

_**Death's Inevitable Kiss: **_**Right, Ben is so funny and cute, no one can resist him (: THAT MADE ME SOO MAD TOO! If he returns in any upcoming Fable game, we should petition to make him marriageable!**

_**heromartymcfly: **_**Don't worry, I made this chapter extra long ;) **

_**Twilight Woods: **_**Ohmagosh that is such a sweet review! I'm in love with Reaver as well, and I did the same exact thing, now I love Ben too! Yeah, I've never been a fan of people who's characters know each other for like a day, then suddenly they're in love :P And I would totally do the same thing! I was soo happy when I saw you reviewed, because I read your story "Who You Are" and I'm in love with it! Sorry I haven't reviewed, but I'll go do that right now!**

* * *

Juliette came to realize that the men at the fort, despite the hungry stares they gave her, were very welcoming and humorous. There was a man who practiced the lute, letting her in on the world of a virtuoso. She came upon a soldier who was trying to improve his aiming with a rifle.

"Please, I don't have anytime for chit-chat. Captain Finn said he'll throw me to the hollow men if I don't improve!" The soldier told her. She observed him, noticing he never came close to hitting the four mugs set up on the table he was shooting at.

She pulled out her own rifle and shot the four mugs before the soldier had gotten finished with reloading his firearm. He stared in awe at the ruins of the cups.

Juliette laughed. "I think I just saved your arse."

The soldier muttered a quick thank you as Juliette strapped the rifle onto her back and continued to walk. As she did, she could overhear Walter and Swift talking.

"So, the princess, what's going on there then?" Swift asked Walter.

"It's just as I'd hoped, Swift." Walter murmured. "Just as we _all _hoped."

"She's a Hero, then?" Smiled Swift. "Ready to lead the land in a glorious rebellion?"

"That's right."

"Super!"

Three men allowed her to sit at a campfire with them as they joked and told stories. One of them, Tick, poked his companion, Gould, with the spit.

"Look!" Tick remarked, pointing at the other man, Grove, who most of the time had been sitting in his chair reading. "He's doing it again! Hey, Grove! What's this one about? Come on, tell us the story."

"Oh, you wouldn't like it," Grove told him. "Violence, swearing, drunken orgies. . ."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, it has none of those. Some of the words are really long."

"Hey, I get by fine with short ones. In fact, I'm thinking of a few right now."

Gould grinned widely and let out an, "Oooh!"

"How can you read at a time like this?" Gould asked him. "We could all be dead by morning!"

"I promised Captain Finn I'd read a few chapters of the autobiography he's been working on, and I don't break promises, dead or not." Said Grove, not looking up from the texts.

Tick groaned, "What a sycophant!"

"Syco-what?" Grove retorted. "You want to do more reading instead of making up words!"

"Captain Finn's writing an autobiography?" Juliette asked with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, he started writing it a month or two back."

"Mind if I have a copy?"

Grove laughed out loud. "Does a lady like you want to know what kind of life Ben has? I think after a few chapters you would rather burn it instead of continue to read."

"I think I could handle it."

He continued to laugh as he handed the pages over to her. "If you say so."

Juliette stuffed the pages into her bag. Hopefully, there'd be something in the text she could use against him should he try to woo her again.

In the west, the sun was beginning to set. She and Walter had arrived in late afternoon, about two hours ago. In was just past eight o'clock now. If Walter was right about how dangerous Mourningwood was after dark, she'd have to go up to the mortar now.

She found Ben up on the wall, laughing with a man who was practically covered in bandages. They covered his eye, legs, forehead, and many other places. His face had few scars as well.

"There she is!" Ben called as she approached. "As much as I'd love to talk, best we get straight to business. I don't suppose you've ever used a mortar before?"

She shook her head in response, making Ben shrug. "There's nothing to it. There's always a slight chance of maiming, but I'm sure you'll pick it up." He gave her a wink, probably hoping to see her blush, but all she gave him was a roll of her eyes.

Disappointed, he continued, "First, I'd like you to meet Private Jammy, he'll be your loader."

Jammy sniffled and handed his hand to her. "Pleasure to meet ya!" His voice was short, like he was sick with a stuffy nose. "It's true what they say about me, ya know: jammiest soldier in Albion! Seven hundred and twenty-four wounds and still standing!"

"Don't worry, you'll get used to him." Ben laughed. "After a while, he's hardly revolting at all. Right, Jammy! It's time to show her the ropes."

"Yes sir!" Jammy saluted. "Right then, my life's gonna be your hands, so let's make sure you know what you're doing, okay? Go on, grab the mortar and we'll do some practice shots."

Juliette grabbed the mortar with enthusiasm, but still with some feelings of trepidation. It was like the mortar was aiming at _her_ and at any moment would send a cannon her way.

"Make sure you crouch down!" Jammy instructed her. "Not entirely comfortable, but is useful when you have that thing firing like a trigger-happy mercenary."

She situated herself into the position, making sure she could see well enough over it to point out her targets. Surprisingly, her view was large enough to practically see the back of the fort. Three scarecrows lined the field.

"Okay, let's see what you got. See those scarecrows over there? Blow 'em up. Blow em' to buggery!"

Juliette hoped that aiming with a mortar was no different than aiming with her rifle. Her eyes focused on the first scarecrow. The mortar fired, and the impact nearly pushed her back. She kept her hands gripped to the handles for dear life, watching the cannonball shoot down on top of the scarecrow.

"Yes!" Jammy cried. "Did you see that? That scarecrow's a goner!"

"Beautiful!" Ben cheered, making Juliette wonder if he meant it at her or if he was actually impressed by her aiming skills. "On to the next one."

Like before, she aimed at the scarecrow, and before she knew it, the air filled with splinters of wood and burning scraps of cloth. Jammy continued to cheer with excitement.

"Boosh!" He laughed uncontrollably. "Goodbye Mr. Scarecrow! That was bloody brilliant!"

"Alright, Jammy, don't get too excited!" Ben warned him. "You know what happens when you do. Let's just take care of the last one."

"Just one left." Jammy sighed, glancing into the field. Suddenly, his face changed from pure delight to confused.

"Hang on," He said. "I don't remember setting this one up. . ."

The three studied the scarecrow, realizing it looked nothing like the other two. All of a sudden, the scarecrow moved, jumping off of it's post and letting out a roar. In that instant, Juliette recognized it.

"They're here!" Ben called into the fort as more hollow men appeared in the field. "Start firing!"

Juliette didn't need to be asked. As the hollow men appeared, she aimed the mortar at them, blasting them away. More hollow men dug out of the ground everywhere in the field. Jammy frantically reloaded the mortar every time Juliette fired while Ben stood and shot with his rifle, taking them down faster than Juliette thought he could.

Nearly an hour passed. All of the soldiers were either lined up along the top of wall, firing with their own guns, or on the bottom, shooting out of the barricades and getting out medical supplies, weapons, and ammunition. Hollow men fired at the fort as well, and for the undead, they were pretty accurate. The soldiers did well to hide behind the walls when they did, others weren't so lucky. Fortunately, the hollow men only managed to hit their arms and legs, and they were quickly tended to by their fellow compatriots.

Suddenly, the hollow men's bodies completely disintegrated, and bright blue wisps flew towards the fort.

Down below, Major Swift called to the soldiers, "Men at the rear gates! Take positions!"

Juliette abandoned the mortar and unsheathed her sword. She quickly jumped down into the center of the fort, Jammy and Ben following her.

"All guns on the gate!" Ordered Ben. "We can't let them through!"

The wooden doors that exited into the Mourningwood marsh began to shake, as if some giant was pounding on them. Two men quickly ran up and pushed themselves up against it.

"Push, push!" One cried to the other. Splinters of wood were beginning to fly out.

"I can't hold it, they're too strong!" The other replied. Suddenly, the door gave out. The wooden planks collapsed onto the men, beginning to crush them.

"Ah!" One screamed.

"No!" The other cried. The blue wisps flew inside like a broken dam.

"Watch that door!" Ben Finn demanded to a few other soldiers. The men rushed forward as the wisps dove into the ground and emerged as skeletons, armed with cleavers and rifles.

Juliette charged in as well, swinging her sword like there was no tomorrow. The hollow men's bodies were destroyed after a few hits, but more wisps kept replacing them. The men didn't have the best weapons, and the hollow men overpowered them in strength. Juliette tried her best to keep them at bay, switching over to rifle and firing as many shots as she could.

From behind her, a man shouted, "They're coming in through the windows!"

She glanced behind her to see that the fort's barricades had gone down like the gate, and she sprinted over, leaving the other men behind. The hollow men fired at her, but she rolled away from the bullets' line of fire. A power surged in her hands, and with a roar, she brought them down on the ground. Around her, a fiery vortex swirled, picking up the hollow men. Their bodies crumbled in the winds, and the torn, dry, clothing they wore caught in the inferno. Blue, intricate will lines glowed against her skin and through her clothes as the magic was released.

Ben suddenly appeared by her side, caught off guard by her use of will. He didn't let it distract him, though, as he continued to shoot at the skeletons that irritably kept popping up. He gave Juliette a smirk as he fired at one skeletal warrior, decapitating it's head.

Annoyance coursed in Juliette. _He thinks I'm showing off! _She thought. She'd always been up for a challenge, and Ben had just handed it to her on a silver platter.

As another skeleton limped towards them, she pulled out her rifle, aiming at the cleaver it bore in it's hands. She fired, the weapon flying out away from him. It growled at her, but before it could come at her, it's head was knocked clean off as she decapitated it. It's headless body swayed around a bit, then exploded as she finished it off with a flourish from her sword.

She gave a returning smirk to Ben, who watched her with annoyance, as she rolled away to another horde on the other side of the fort.

Walter and Swift were battling out with the adversaries, and they were handling themselves well. Juliette quickly cut in, powering up her magic again and sending another wave of the burning windstorm. Walter gave her an approving grin as he gave a mighty swing of his sword. She pulled out her own sword, and many hollow men met their ends as the blade sliced their bones.

Another hour or two passed, and the wisps just seemed to keep pouring into the fort. Finally, the flow of the wisps ended, and the remaining skeletons were soon destroyed as the soldiers cut them down with their swords, fired from afar with firearms, and watched the majesty of Juliette's magic. At last, the remaining hollow man exploded as he was bombarded with bullets.

The soldiers gave heavy sighs of relief, leaning against the walls from exhaustion. Major Swift didn't seem affected at all as he cheered, "Victory! All hail the princess!"

He gave Walter a pat on the back, then addressed the others, "Now, who's ready for a pint?"

All seemed well, they celebrated their victory and congratulated their compatriots at their fighting skills, when suddenly something caught the corners of their eyes. From the ruins of the doors, one more bright blue wisp soared in, landing into one of the graves Swift showed them earlier. A face emerged from the ground, followed by two very large swords. The hollow man crawled out from the ground, and everyone gasped at it. It was nearly three times the size of Juliette, towering over her. Clumps of dirt hung in it's hair and it's clothes, and a large cavity was eaten away in it's abdomen.

"Lieutenant Simmons!" Swift called. "I specifically instructed you to remain buried!"

Ben groaned with anger. "Oh, doesn't anyone follow orders anymore?"

Suddenly, he was cut off as the remains of Lieutenant Simmons let out a monstrous roar. The ground shook uncontrollably, and sound waves made Juliette's brain rattle in her skull. Like rain from the sky, the soldiers, including Walter and Swift, fell to the ground, unconscious. Juliette regained her balance and frantically looked at the bodies that had just landed at her feet.

"Shit!" She cried as Simmons stared deathly at her. She sprinted away, reloading her rifle and firing like a maniac at the hollow man. Her fear of the giant rose out of the roof when his ghastly mouth opened and a sea of wisps flew out; he'd brought an army!

As the hollow men legion began to crawl out of the ground, Juliette charged up her spells and fired at them. Some of the skeletons were lifted in the tornado, but Simmons ran through it like it wasn't there. She dodged him as he approached, swinging the blades he had attached to himself at her. The other hollow men who hadn't been swept up took the opposite route, trapping her in between them and Simmons. She powered her magic up, hoping they'd stall for a while before they'd hit her. Suddenly, a blade cut through the smaller skeletal soldiers.

Juliette looked back in surprise after she fired the vortex at Simmons, who was still charging at her. Amongst the bone dust stood, to her amazement, Ben Finn.

"Need a hand?" He asked her.

"No, I'm fine!" She protested as he fired his rifle at Simmons. The giant kept charging, and the two flew in the opposite direction as he slashed with his cleavers. Juliette unsheathed her sword, attacking Simmons from behind as he slowed down from his charge.

He turned around to face her, giving out another roar. From his mouth, magical blades popped out, aiming for her. She cursed under her breath and rolled away, the blades penetrating the ground next to her. She regained her balance, joining Ben with her rifle.

Simmons breathed out another hollow men army. For a while, the same process repeated itself: Ben fired with his rifle, using his sword on occasion, while Juliette kept charging up her spells, every once in a while using her rifle and sword.

Finally, Simmons charged her once more. As he got ready to stab her, she rolled underneath him, slicing his legs with her sword. He roared out in fury, sending forth more blades. The mystical blades stabbed her, and though they didn't spill blood, the pain was still like she really had been. Ben ran up, and used his own sword to cut off Simmons' head. The decapitated skull rolled away as Juliette recovered from her agony. She ran up, stabbing her blade into it. A ghostly sound seemed to come from it as Simmons and his hollow man legion dissolved into dust.

Juliette sighed, sheathing her sword and picking up the skull. Ben's face was filled genuinely with awe.

"That was pretty damn impressive!" He praised.

"I told you I didn't need any help." She argued still.

Ben ignored her, "So, your father wasn't the last Hero of Albion after all?"

"It would appear so."

Juliette walked over and began to wake up the soldiers who were knocked out, telling them what happened. Ben went around, calculating the deaths and injuries of the soldiers. Dawn began to rise when all was said and done. In the end, there were a total of four deaths, sadly including Jammy, who'd died when the hollow men burst into the fort.

"We did it!" Swift continued to celebrate when they woke up. "No, really, we did!"

"Let the poets tell our epic tale!" Ben cheered. "The Swift Brigade fought against impossible odds! They won. The end." He turned to face Walter with a mischievous look. "Well, Sir Walter, you didn't do too bad, for an old man."

"Neither did you, for a buffoon." Walter returned, and the four joined in a chorus of laughs.

"Ah, that was just like old times, Walter." Swift told him. "Just like old times. And, Miss Juliette, I must say I was rather impressed with your fighting skills, along with the rest of the brigade. It seems Walter has really put a lot of effort into your training."

"Thank you, Swift." Juliette thanked with a polite smile.

"So, will you join us?" Walter asked. "With your help, we can put an end to Logan's madness, bring back the real Albion army, and much more."

Ben interrupted the two, "Wait, Wally, you're here because you're starting a revolution?"

"Well, Juliette here is the main reason behind it."

"Might I ask why?" Ben said, directing it at her.

That one fateful day came up into Juliette's mind, the emotions that had flown in that room like her spells: anger, despair, fear, all concocted together to form vengeance.

"Because Logan has done something unbelievable, unforgivable, not only to me, but to his own people." She responded, sadness in her voice.

"I swore to serve my king to the death, we all did." Swift announced. "But this isn't the way it was meant to be. The Old Guard has been shoved aside and these new soldiers Logan's been gathering, they don't care about this land or it's people."

"Yeah, and I bet they get paid more," Muttered Ben, getting a warning glance from Swift.

"Walter has absolute faith in you." Swift continued, looking up at Juliette. "And after seeing you in action, so do I. All I ask is that you make a soldier's oath: let your armies protect the people instead of oppressing them. Bring honor back to this uniform."

"Yeah, and don't forget the pay rise!" Ben added.

"Shut up, Ben." Walter sighed.

Swift held out his hand, and Juliette took it in a firm handshake.

"I promise." She told him.

They signed their contract on a piece of paper. That morning, the four stood up on the fort walls as Swift announced their following to Juliette and Walter's cause. The soldiers cheered in approval, casting grins and throwing their hats in the air.

"We'll head out to Bowerstone tomorrow morning." Swift told Walter.

Walter turned to Juliette. "I'm going to stay here to get the brigade set up. I'll have Ben escort you to Bowerstone."

Juliette frowned in disapproval. "Walter, I'm sure I can find my way there by myself."

"If this wasn't Mourningwood, I would agree with you." Walter told her. "But it's very easy to get confused in this swamp, and as much as I would love to send someone else, Ben is the strongest fighter in the brigade."

Juliette sighed, while Ben grinned from behind her. Walter shot him another warning glare.

Within an hour, the two were ready to head out.

"You ready, princess?" Ben asked her cheerfully.

"As much as I'd love to say no, yes I'm ready." She responded. They headed out of the gates into the marsh.


	3. Chapter 3 - Bowerstone Industrial

**Yay! New chapter! I guess I should put this out there right now; this may or may not be the last chapter for at least a week. I'll be away Sunday - Saturday, so I will not be able to update the story ): **

_**Forbidden-Angel25 - **_**Thank you! I ship them hard too! They would just be so cute together, and that's why me and fellow writers created fan fiction (:**

_**Twilight Woods - **_**RIGHT! Idk why, but Walter never lets me pass him in the game, and he's so slow and annoying, but once Ben and Reaver enter the picture (I love Barry too, with his cute speech impediment ^_^) I just can't stop smiling and giggling like a little girl! Don't worry, your questions will be answered! ;)**

**BTW, you didn't think I'd leave Reaver out, did you?**

* * *

The marshes were humid and uncomfortable; sweat was beading on Juliette's brow. She hoped they reached Bowerstone quickly. Ben, on the other hand, wasn't helping at all.

"You and I make a pretty good team, don't ya think?" He smiled.

She frowned at him. "For the last time, I told you _I didn't need any help."_

"Hey, you weren't the only one who didn't get knocked out. What did you expect me to do? Stand on the sidelines and watch like I was at the theatre?"

"It would've been a lot more convenient."

He didn't respond to that, but kept observing her as they continued to walk.

"What?" Juliette asked irritably. His very presence was starting to annoy her more than the swamp.

"Nothing." He replied. "You just look a lot different than from what I was expecting."

"I'm sorry I don't meet your expectations." How could she blame him though? In all pictures the people of Albion had seen of her, she had always worn elegant dresses, a face scrubbed clean of makeup and grime, and her hair braided down her back. Now, in her mercenary attire, with her hair down in thick curls and face painted with light makeup, many people would have never guessed her to be a princess. Not like she wanted to look like one.

"Honestly, I think it's a good look on you."

"Sweet Avo, just _stop!"_ She yelled at him, her calm poseur completely destroyed. "You could make this damn trip a lot more enjoyable if you'd just quit with your worthless flirting! Ever since me and Walter arrived at the fort, you've been wasting your time trying to woo me!"

At first, Ben seemed surprised at her outburst, but then it switched over to humorous.

"Come on, princess!" He laughed. "I'm just being friend-"

He was cut off as he suddenly tripped, landing into the bog. Ben groaned and cursed to the gods, while Juliette, who'd been mad before, burst out laughing.

"What?" Ben argued. "You think this is funny?"

"Considering that I'm the one laughing now? Yes, it's absolutely hilarious!" She giggled.

"Could you at least help me up?"

She smirked, and continued down the path.

"Maybe since you're the one being laughed at, you'll probably leave me alone for the rest of the time."

Ben cursed again, squirming in the swamp's mud and getting dirtier before he finally stood up. He caught up with Juliette, and fortunately was silent until they reached the Mourningwood village.

"Okay, look." He said. "Since we both had the chance to be laughed at, could we start over? Be neutral?"

"Hmm." Juliette pondered. "Define 'neutral'."

"I won't act like a jackass, as you might say, and you won't be an angry bitch, as I would say." He explained.

Irritation sparked in her at his last statement, but she nodded. "Agreed."

As they approached the sewers, Ben held out his hand. "Hello, I'm Ben Finn." He greeted with a smile.

Juliette shook his in a handshake. "I'm Juliette."

* * *

About three hours passed as they made their way through the Bowerstone sewers. The first hour, the two didn't talk, but Juliette decided since they were starting over, it wasn't right to give Ben the silent treatment.

"So. . ." She started. "What were you before you were a soldier?"

Ben pondered, as if he was wondering whether or not to tell her, then chuckled. "Messed up."

"Tell me."

"You sure you want to know?"

"I have nothing better to do."

"Well. . ." He began. "For a while I ran my parent's shop, but then I left after it went bankrupt. I had to do a lot of jobs for awhile, but all of that ended up to be a waste when I, accidental or otherwise, joined with a band of smugglers and ended up in the capitol of all uncouth nature, Bloodstone. After a year or two though, I left that chapter of my life behind and met Major Swift, and he let me join the royal army."

To his surprise, Juliette laughed.

"What?" He asked her, confused.

"Come on, Ben." She said. "I talked with Grove and by the way he described it, there is way more than just that!"

He joined in her laughter. "He was right."

"Mind to expand on your life story?"

The last two hours of their journey were filled with laughter as Ben told her stories of his voyages during his years in the black market, his sexual conquests in Bloodstone, and his brothers' exploits.

"Unfortunately, their heyday is what ended their lives." Ben explained.

"How?" Juliette asked, quizzical.

"Well, my eldest, Jason, was killed in a duel with the husband of his last sexual conquest."

"Oh wow, I'm so sorry." She apologized with a look of sorrow on her face.

Ben burst out laughing, surprisingly. "What's there to be sorry for? He deserved it! Anyway, they fought with pitchforks, and Jason never worked an honest day in his life and held it the wrong way round."

He explained further about how his other brothers, William and Quentin, died. William ran a con game by the wrong person and was taken to Bowerstone, never heard of again. Quentin had gathered enough gambling debts to put a price on his head.

"I remember Quentin's death most clearly of all." Ben said. "I was unfortunate enough to witness it. When they came to get his suddenly valuable head, I tried to protect him, but I hadn't been able to afford a real weapon, and peashooters aren't the best weapons to use on a mercenary."

For a moment, a flash of pain seemed to cross Ben's face, a definite first, but then as quickly as it appeared, it faded away as Ben chuckled. "After that, my mother passed and left my father a drunken widower, though drunk only when he could afford it, poverty making his attempts to drown his sorrows all the harder. Well, enough about me. What kind of life did you have before all this revolution stuff?"

Juliette hesitated to tell him. She didn't really know how to explain things. "Not really much to tell. I've lived in that castle for eighteen years."

"Must have had a pretty relaxed life."

She giggled. "Actually, I think most of the visitors there dreaded it. We'd always mess around with the nobles, eavesdrop of meetings, and steal snacks from the kitchen."

"We?"

"Um. . ." She thought. "Me and Logan. And my best friend, Elliot."

"Wow, that doesn't sound like Logan at all."

"He's changed a lot. After he became king, his personality just became more stern. I think he developed insomnia. I don't know if all the duties of being a king just made him stressed, but after that he never seemed to have time for me or anyone else."

"So what did you do?"

Her eyes looked down at her feet. "I started to rely on Elliot. . ." She whispered. "While Logan attended to his duties, Elliot was just there for me. Walter was there too; he's been like a father to us both ever since our mother and father passed."

"Where's Elliot now?" Ben reluctantly asked.

A part of Juliette wanted to tell him the truth. Another part screamed at her to say he was fine, that he was still supporting her.

"I think he went to Bowerstone after me and Walter left the castle." She lied.

"You haven't talked to him for two months?"

"Not a word."

"Maybe you'll find him when we reach the city."

She sighed. "Maybe."

A bright light came from around the bend. The two turned and found the end of the sewers.

"Well, here we are!" Ben announced, stretching his arms. "Bowerstone Industrial, the poorest and dirtiest part of Albion."

As they began to walk the streets, Juliette realized why so many people were rebelling against Logan; beggars lined the streets, workers were coughing from the smog that hung in the air, and saddest of all, children ran past them into the factories that were all over Industrial.

"This is horrible. . ." She murmured.

A woman reached out to her, grasping her leg.

"Please!" She cried. "I need money to help my family!"

She hated to see the woman suffering so. Juliette reached into her bag and pulled out ten coins, placing them into the woman's hands, who smiled with tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Avo bless you!" The woman whispered.

As they walked farther, donating more money to beggars they saw, shouts and cheers could be heard.

"What's going on?" Ben asked.

In the courtyard of a factory, a riot was breaking out. A man stood on a pile of crates, addressing the crowd that surrounded him.

"Reaver is exploiting us!" He yelled. "We deserve fair pay for the work we do! We demand better working conditions! We're workers, not slaves! He treats us like animals, and we're not gonna take it! There's only one thing for it! We have to stand up to Rea-"

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, and the man screamed in agony, falling on top of the crates. All of the riot members gasped in surprise and shock. Juliette flashed her head up to the factory's balcony, where a man in white and black suit and tall top hat stood, a smoking pistol in his gloved hand.

"But lying down is so much easier than standing up!" Reaver smiled, then addressed to the crowd, "My dear friends, in order to raise morale, I am offering prizes to the most deserving workers!"

Juliette began to reach for her own pistol strapped to her thigh, but Ben stopped her.

"Don't." He warned. "You'll just make it worse."

"The rules that will govern what I like to call 'The Reaver Team Spirit Award' are these: firstly, any worker that so much murmurs another complaint will be shot." He fired his pistol again at the collapsed man, who yelped with pain. As much as Juliette wanted to disregard Ben's warning and shoot at Reaver, she kept her hands wrapped around herself as she watched in anger.

"Secondly, any worker that takes more than a three second break will be shot!" The gun fired again, this time hitting the worker in the leg.

"Thirdly, any worker that breaks any other rules I have yet to formulate will," He chuckled, "Yes, you guessed it! Be shot!"

The pistol fired one last time, and worker's head suddenly exploded, making the crowd scream.

"You may return to work now." Reaver ordered. "As you know, I'm a generous man and likely to start handing out prizes right away. So go on! Shoo! Be off with you! Chop chop!"

The crowd receded back into the factory with dismal looks on their faces, as did Reaver. Once everyone left the courtyard, the two ran up to the man's body.

"We couldn't save him," Ben muttered, examining his bloody head.

"Avo, what's happened to this world?" Juliette asked.

Ben looked up at her. "You're brother becoming king, that's what."

They left the man's body, saying a silent prayer over his body. Soon, they arrived at a pub.

"Wally told me to leave you here for tonight." Ben told her. "I'm gonna start heading back to Mourningwood."

"You walked all this way just to walk all the way back?" She frowned.

"I've got to get the men ready to move out tomorrow, and make sure we leave some evidence behind so that Logan's soldiers think we're still there." He explained. "If I hurry, I can make it before sundown."

"If you say so."

"Wally, the others, and I should be here tomorrow afternoon or so."

"I guess I'll see you then. Good luck."

Ben waved goodbye and turned back to the Bowerstone Industrial streets, heading back the way they came.

Inside the pub, Juliette tried rent out a room on the top floor. The barkeep told her their rooms were getting full, and that to get an empty on, she'd have to pay extra. She groaned, searching her bag for extra money, then handed it to him. He fetched a key from the counter behind him and threw it at her.

"Upstairs, second door." He said in a gruffly voice.

"Thank you."

The room wasn't the best; a worn down bed, a dresser, and a table was furnished inside. The wallpaper was peeling, and the floorboards had a few splinters.

"Oh well," She sighed to herself. "Beggars can't be choosers."

She unpacked a few items from her bag when she noticed the copy of Ben's autobiography sitting on the very bottom. Juliette observed the papers, then placed them on the bed as she stuffed the bag into the dresser.

Once everything was put away and settled, Juliette sat on the uncomfortable bed with Absalom curled at her feet and began to read the paper's Grove gave her.

A few hours passed, and Juliette found Ben's life to be even more interesting in the story than it'd been when he told her himself. There were many stories written in the pages that Ben had refrained from telling her, such as experiences in the army, his hometown of Gunk, and the troubles he faced while working in the black market in Bloodstone. She decided it was fair, since she had also hesitated to tell him more on her own life as well. Soon, the words on the pages became uninteresting to her, and though her bed was lumpy, she found herself beginning to fall asleep.

A crash woke her up in the middle of the night. She peeked her head out to look down into the bar. Two drunkards were getting into a fight, the tough looking barkeep trying to break the two apart. They kept running into the chairs and tables, knocking over tankards and glasses. The excitement had spooked her, and even after the whole ordeal was over, she couldn't find herself falling back to sleep.

Juliette retrieved her mercenary jacket from the dresser, pulling it on as she headed downstairs into the bar. As she opened the doors out to Industrial, a cold wind blasted in, followed by the light trickle of raindrops. The little amount of water didn't bother her much as she stood along the side of the tavern, observing the candlelit streets, the ominous factories, and canals that wove underneath the bridges. The stars in the sky were mostly blocked out by the smog, but the ones that shone through were still as luminous. Honestly, Industrial was rather nice, if one could forget about the horrors that took place there.

She remembered nights when she and Elliot would sneak out into the castle gardens and watch the stars. Her father had shown her constellations, and their backstories. They seemed so mystical and far away. Everyone thought the castle gardens looked sinister at night, but she and Elliot found that they were just as mysterious as they stars hanging in the sky.

She was so deep in her thoughts that when someone's voice came from behind her, she jumped with a start.

"Hello there, Juliette."

She snapped her head back at the voice to find a man in white business suit and black top hat behind her, smiling.

"Reaver!" She gasped. "What are you doing here?"

He laughed, "You don't think I didn't notice you during the riot? It was hard to recognize you; you look a lot different than from when I last saw you. What day was that? Oh yes! The day those filthy peasants made a demonstration."

"Do _not _bring up that day!" She warned him.

"You're still in pain over that ordeal? One would think after two months you would've forgotten it."

"I'm not as cold-hearted as you, Reaver." She growled.

All of a sudden, the next thing she knew, his body was pressed against hers on the wall.

"Oh my dear, no need to be so cruel." He cooed. "I'm sure you'd find I'm not so cold-hearted as I may appear." His hands touched her waist and pinned her wrist down.

"Get off of me!"

Suddenly, a dog growled and Reaver gave a quick yelp. At his feet, Absalom was snarling up at his, a small piece of his white business suit in his mouth. Reaver took his eyes of her to see the culprit, giving Juliette enough time to snatch the pistol at her thigh and point it at his groin.

"I said, '_Get off of me'"_ She warned him, giving him daggers.

Reaver looked surprised at first, then smirked as he thankfully leaned away.

"Until we meet again, my princess." He called as he began to walk away.

As soon as he disappeared down the rainy street, Juliette leaned down and petted her faithful dog.

"Good boy!" She praised, taking the businessman's clothing piece and throwing it into the canals.


	4. Chapter 4 - Into The Woods

**This is a tad bit of a shorter chapter, but I did love writing it and wanted to leave a cliffhanger. Unfortunately, this will be the last chapter for at least a week to come D: I'm sorry to leave you with such a short chapter AND a cliffhanger when it won't be updated for a while, but I will start writing out Chapter 5 while I am away!**

_**ItsTotti - **_**Thank you so much! I love Ben and Reaver, Elliot is sorta. . . Meh to me :/**

_**Death's Inevitable Kiss - **_**I just had to put Reaver in there somewhere! If there's no Ben, there's Reaver!**

_**Forbidden-Angel25 - **_**If only I had a dog as awesome as him D:**

_**Twilight Woods - **_**If I was her, honestly, I would've been like "YES!" But unfortunately, Juliette is girl that sticks to her morals, as you said :/ I can imagine what Ben would do. . . But the real question is. . . How would Reaver react O_O**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far on this story! Every review I get makes me happy beyond belief and it inspires to me to write! (:**

* * *

"I really _love _how much time we're spending in caves and sewers these days," Walter groaned.

The next afternoon, Walter had arrived in Industrial's tavern to get her. He explained the rest of the brigade was visiting family in the Bowerstone districts, then would later in the evening meet with them. He and Juliette didn't have to go far to find their next allies; in fact, the whole night, Juliette had been right above them. There was an entrance to the sewers underneath the pub that the two had just entered. Walter had said that it was the base of the Bowerstone Resistance.

"I should warn you," He began as they continued. "I don't know what kind of reception we'll get. I know their leader well enough, but it was never safe for me to come and meet the rest of them, and they're not exactly the most trusting of people."

Ahead seemed to be some sort of warehouse. Crates and barrels were stacked up like cargo waiting to be transported. A few torches lined the walls, illuminating the place. Walter grabbed one and called out,

"Hello? Hello?"

The only response was his voice echoing against the stone walls of the sewers.

"Maybe we've got the wrong place," He told Juliette. "Let's, uh, you know. Get out and -"

"Don't move!"

The two flashed their heads back to see the once empty warehouse was now filled with men, all pointing rifles and pistols at them. Juliette unsheathed her sword, giving a returning glare to the men.

"We won't move if you won't shoot." Walter told them. "Deal?"

"You better tell your friend that." The man who first called to them growled.

"It's all right!" He persuaded Juliette. "Just do as he says."

She put her sword down, but didn't place it back into it's sheath as the man asked, "Who are you? And what are you doing here?"

"I'm Walter, and this is - Well, that really doesn't matter right now. We're here to speak with Page."

Another man spoke up in the back, "I say we shoot 'em.", making Juliette lift her sword back up in defense.

"Listen!" Walter shouted. "We're on your side, just hear us out!"

"We don't make deals with spies!" The first man snapped. "Shoot!"

"Wait!"

"Put your weapons down!" A woman's voice suddenly interrupted. From a door, a dark skinned woman appeared, dressed in men's clothing with a sword strapped on her back and a pistol at her side. "I thought _I _gave you orders around here, Kidd"

"Sorry, Page." The man, Kidd, apologized. "Got a bit carried away."

She turned and smiled at Walter.

"Walter!" She greeted. "Glad you're alright."

"And I'm glad you came in when you did!"

"I wasn't exactly expecting you. Let's talk somewhere a bit more private." Page gestured for them to follow her back where she came. The men put their firearms away and let them pass by.

"I had this whole plan, you see." Walter explained as they walked. "But I. . . Well, we ended up leaving the castle earlier than I thought."

"I heard." Page responded. "Pity. Your messages were always useful."

"I can offer you something better."

The halls of the sewers became cleaner and more organized as they continued. There were tables and chairs, bedrolls, and bookcases. The Resistance were actually _living _here. Juliette wondered if any of them had family or loved ones. If they did, what did they know? Did they just assume that they were dead, or did they live with them in the sewers?

They entered a room that was slightly more modern than the rest of the sewers. There were two desks, a map table, a closet, and a bed that was in better condition than the one in the tavern. On the wall hung a wanted poster, and the picture of the criminal on it was no one other than Page herself. The door shut behind them as they walked to the map table.

"Page," Walter began. "I'd like you to meet -"

"I know who she is." Page interrupted. "I thought you knew better than to bring the princess here!"

"She's not just the princess!" He argued. "She's a Hero!"

"Great. Give her a medal."

"No, no. I mean she's a 'Hero'. Like her father."

"Really?" Page turned to face Juliette. "It doesn't change anything. Your brother is the reason we live underground. He's the reason we fight! How do we know she's any better?" She asked Walter angrily.

"Well, let her prove it."

"It's not just me she needs to convince. The people of this city need someone they can believe in." She faced Juliette again. "Prove to them that they should follow you, then we'll talk. For now, I have work to do."

"Looks like you have work to do, too." Walter said to her. "You have a whole city to inspire."

The world grayed and Page and Walter froze in time. A woman in a red cloak and hood appeared before her.

"You have met the true voice of the people of this city," Theresa spoke softly. "You cannot hope to succeed in your rebellion without Page and her resistance group by your side. Winning her to your side will be challenging, but it is a challenge you must accomplish."

* * *

Evening came quicker than anticipated. The people of Bowerstone were busy people, and Juliette found that many tasks were available for her to take. She had been walking through Bowerstone Market when one of the guards called her over.

"You look pretty tough." He'd said. "We've been hearing from some of the locals in Brightwall that there has been a disturbance in the woods that surround the town. All of the guards are too busy to check it out themselves and King Logan won't send his own men to investigate. If you could head into the Brightwall forests and see what the ruckus is all about, I'd pay you for your time."

She gave the soldier a nod. "Of course."

"Great! I'd recommend probably bringing someone along to help you just in case."

As the sun set, she returned into the base to find the soldiers had arrived and made themselves at home. Some were passed out on the bedrolls, others were chatting with the revolutionaries, and the rest were drinking with their compatriots. Walter sat at one table with a very familiar blonde soldier.

"Ben!" She called as she approached.

Both of the men looked up at her with grins on their faces.

"Juliette!" Ben greeted. "How's Bowerstone treating you so far?"

"Pretty well." She told him, refusing to discuss the Reaver incident. "It's actually great you're here. I have a mission to head into the Brightwall woods. The guard told me to bring someone along in case there was trouble."

"And you immediately thought of me?"

Walter warned, "Don't push your luck, boy."

"I was going to bring one of the other men, but since you're _the strongest fighter in the brigade." _She stated, looking at Walter. "I assumed it'd be better if you accompany me."

Ben grinned, "I'd be more happy to." Walter sighed, either from annoyance or defeat, Juliette wasn't sure.

"Great. We'll head out in an hour or so." She smiled.

* * *

"So what was the real reason you invited me to venture out into the wilderness?"

"What I said back at the headquarters was true." Juliette told him. "But besides that, we're supposed to be allies right?"

They'd reached Brightwall through Mistpeak, and once they told the guards of their intent, they let them pass onto the other side of the mountain's forests. This side of the uninhibited forests were rarely ventured in, so Juliette could see why the locals were spooked by the unknown ruckus.

"Yea, I suppose you're right. Still though, I didn't expect me to be your first choice."

"I told you back at the fort; I believe in what Walter says, and if he says you're the strongest fighter, then it's logical that you should come."

The woods were damp and dark. Unlike the other side of Mistpeak, the roads were overrun with foliage, and no lanterns or signs lined the paths. Ben and Juliette seemed to be walking to nowhere. The woods were silent except for the occasional howl of wolves.

"Do you think the villagers are just hearing wolves?" Ben asked.

"Probably, but. . ." She replied. "On the other side of Mistpeak, there are wolves, mercenaries, hobbes, and other creatures. These two sides are too close for them not to share the same inhabitants. I highly doubt that wolves are the only culprits."

The two continued the trek through the forests, when oddly, something came into view. There was light coming from a few lanterns ahead, dimly illuminating a few cabins that were the worse for wear. They approached cautiously, examining the strangely isolated civilization.

"You'd think it's abandoned if it weren't for the lanterns." Ben remarked.

"I think this is the source of the disturbance." Responded Juliette. "I don't know what they could be doing though."

"Should we head back?"

She nodded. "We'll tell the guards where this is, then come back again."

She started to walk back the way they came, when all of a sudden, something grabbed her foot. In surprise, she screamed as it lifted her upside down into the trees.

"Shit!" She cried.

"Juliette!" Ben yelled when suddenly a bunch of mercenaries popped out of the trees behind him.

"Look out!" She warned, bending her body so she could retrieve the pistol at her side. She shot at the first bandit, who yelped with pain as Ben turned around and began to shoot with his rifle. More of them appeared; Juliette continued to help Ben with her pistol, which was difficult to do while suspended in the air.

"I'll hold them off!" He shouted to her. "You try to get down!"

At that moment, her pistol clicked as she tried to fire. She dropped the useless scrap metal, fidgeting around so she could retrieve her pocket knife in her jacket. Gunshots continued to fire below her as she swung up and grabbed her trapped foot, opened the knife with her teeth, and began to saw the rope that suspended her.

Minutes seemed to pass like hours. Juliette glanced back down frantically to see a few mercenaries lying on ground, dead, but the rest still advancing on Ben, who'd switched to his sword. She quickly kept sawing through the rope. Finally, the rope tore apart, and with a yelp she fell to the ground with a thud. The breath seemed to be knocked out of her, and black dots swarmed her vision. Suddenly, before she could react, another bandit ran over to her, a knife in his hands.

"This will all be over in a second, lass." He told her as he trapped her under him.

She fidgeted, but she was restrained under the mercenary. Her hands scratched at his face, and he tried to restrain away from them as he brought the blade down. Pain exploded in her side as the blade entered her flesh. Juliette screamed with agony, bringing her own knife up, still clutched in hand, and began to stab the bandit everywhere she could; his abdomen, side, and chest. He tried to fight, grunting with agony, but then fell limp. Her wound was throbbing uncontrollably, gushing blood on the forest floor and her clothing, but she fought through her pain, standing up and beginning to fire her rifle. The black spots were still in her vision.

Unknowingly, Ben appeared by her side. There were still a handful of mercenaries left, and as they fought, they were interrupted by a howl. It wasn't like the howls they'd heard through the night. No, these were more chilling and deep. Suddenly, something landed on one of the mercenaries.

"No!" He screamed. "Please!" The creature took no mercy on him, and before their eyes, it ripped him to shreds. The other mercenaries yelled with fear, scattering back into the woods. The creature bounded after them, and in the foliage, more of them appeared, chasing and killing the bandits. Then there was silence.

Juliette gripped her side in agony, choking out, "What the hell was that thing?"

Ben was frantically ripping a shirt off of a dead mercenary as he replied, "Balverines." He came back and began to wrap the shirt around her. She winced as he tightened the clothing around her wound.

"We have to get you to Brightwall; you're losing a lot of blood." He gasped as he examined the stab. Ben wrapped his arm around her waist, and she held herself up by holding his shoulder while clutching her throbbing wound.

Juliette's vision was warped and murky. The journey that had taken nearly an hour seemed to go by in a few minutes. She tilted her head up to see the guards of Brightwall running towards them. She felt them take her from Ben, then the murkiness took over her.


	5. Chapter 5 - Heroism

**Hello again, my fellow readers! Long time, no see, huh? Sorry for the wait, I've been super busy D: For the past two weeks, I've been visiting places, both where I had no access at all to a computer. Thankfully though, I wrote the first half of this chapter in my notebook, so I had a good idea of what would happen. Now, I'm still gone, but this time the computer is just sitting there for me to sit down and write my fanfic! I'll admit, I've rewritten what I had written down probably a million times, and I'm still not sure if I'm completely satisfied with it. Hopefully though, you are, and that would satisfy me completely (: I've also found Ben to be a rather challenging person to write, so I apologize if he is OOC D:**

_**Daydr3am3r-25 - **_**Sorry to keep you waiting longer than I promised, but hopefully this makes up for it!**

**Thank you for all of those who have favorited, followed, and reviewed my story so far! I'm so happy to have such supportive readers!**

* * *

Juliette could see him. His brown hair, perfectly chiseled face, and warm eyes. They seemed to laugh as they stared at her, like when they were children.

"Elliot. . ." She smiled.

His sunkissed hand reached to her. She lifted her own, desperate to feel his familiar touch again. Their fingers made contact, and suddenly, he faded away like an old photograph.

"Elliot?" She gasped. Her eyes searched frantically for any traces of him. "Elliot?!"

But he was nowhere. He had slipped away again.

* * *

Juliette's eyes flashed open. She felt sore, and found herself lying in a worndown bed. Groggily, she observed and recognized the room she was in as a room in the Brightwall tavern.

"You're awake?" A familiar voice asked.

She glanced over to see Ben sitting in an old chair. He stood up quickly as she threw her legs over the bed to sit up.

"I don't think you should-" He began.

"What?" She asked him as she stood up. "I feel fine."

Ben sighed, putting a hand to his head as he muttered, "I should have expected less from a Hero. . ."

"What happened?"

"You passed out by the time we reached Brightwall. They took you to the tavern, but when they went to treat the wound, you'd already healed."

Juliette wandered over to a small mirror and lifted the hem of her shirt a few inches. Where a grisly wound should have been, all there was was clear skin.

"You've been out only about five hours." Ben explained.

Her fingers trailed along her skin as she asked, "Did you tell the guards about the balverines and bandits?"

"Yeah."

A few moments of silenced passed. "I guess I'll leave you to get ready." Ben finally said, turning to leave.

Quickly, Juliette interrupted his exit with a "Thank you."

Ben turned back around in surprise. "For what?"

"I probably would've died out there if you hadn't come."

"I don't see a reason to thank me," Ben replied. "It wouldn't have been different if someone else had gone."

"You're wrong." She argued. "You're a strong fighter. If someone else had gone, he would've joined me to the grave."

He sighed again. "If that's what you believe, then you're welcome. And Juliette?"

She dropped the shirt's hem and faced him. "What?"

"Next time you decide to venture somewhere you may not return from, just keep in mind what kind of environment you're in. . . and where you're stepping." He said cockily as he left.

* * *

Upon returning to Bowerstone, they found the streets buzzing with gossip about the balverine incident and the two that had fought against it. News did spread pretty quickly throughout Albion, and Juliette felt strange to have citizens talk about her like she was a champion. A little glimmer of hope fluttered within her though, that the people of Bowerstone were already noticing her actions.

"Juliette!"

She glanced up to see Walter approaching her with a worried look on his face.

"Everyone's been talking about what happened!" He told her. "Are you alright?"

"I assure you, I'm fine Walter." She replied calmly.

"What about Ben?"

"Still as juvenile and vigorous as you last saw me, Wally!" Ben exclaimed beside her.

Walter rolled his eyes as he continued, "Well, Bowerstone's pretty impressed by the amount of strength you put into taking care of those adversaries. In fact, I think Page herself is a little surprised as well."

"But not enough?" She sighed.

"No."

A bark suddenly interrupted their conversation. From behind Walter, a blur of black and white bounded towards them, jumping onto his mistress's legs.

"Absalom!" Juliette exclaimed, ruffling her companion's fur. His face had a look of relief, as if he was aware his master had been injured only a few hours previously.

She stood up to face Walter again. "I guess I should get back to work then, right?" She asked him.

"The sooner, the better." Walter agreed.

"Good luck, princess." Ben said, giving her a salute as he and Walter left down the Bowerstone streets.

* * *

Ben glanced behind him as he and Walter walked away from Juliette. As soon as she was out of sight, he faced Walter.

"Hey, Wally," He began, "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it, boy?" Walter gruffed.

Ben hesitated. Part of him was curious, needing validation. Yet, another part was warning him. He hadn't told Juliette everything about himself, why should he be divulging into her own life?

"Who's Elliot?" He finally asked, apprehensive of something he wasn't certain about.

Walter's eyes lit up with surprise. "Where'd you hear that name?" He asked almost anxiously.

"Juliette mentioned him once. And. . . I heard his name in her sleep while we were in Brightwall."

Walter sighed sadly, and began muttering to himself. "Poor girl. It seems those dreams find their way to her almost every night. What did she say about him?"

"She said they were very good friends. And that she left him in the castle when you and her escaped."

Just then, Walter stopped walking and turned to face Ben. "Now listen, boy. I know how you act around women, how you treat them, and I know about your past. If you don't take anything I'm about to tell you seriously, or use it to your advantage to try anything on Juliette, I swear to Avo I will bash your skull in." He warned him angrily.

Ben lifted his hands up peacefully, "Calm down, Walter, I swear I won't do anything!"

"Good." He puffed. "Now, first things first: What she told you wasn't true."

At that one sentence, Ben's interest peaked. His attention was fully to Walter as he continued.

"Elliot was more than a friend to her. He was much closer to her childhood sweetheart. She loved him, alot."

"What happened?" Ben asked, slightly nervous for the answer.

"The last day Juliette was at the castle, there was a demonstration. Logan planned to kill the ringleaders, but Juliette and Elliot interferred. So, being the arse of a ruler he is, Logan made her do something that even I thought he could never do."

Ben listened, a few suspicious thoughts questioning his brain. But when Walter told him, he couldn't anticipate what happened.

"He made her choose to either execute the riot leaders, three strangers she'd never met, but innocent nonetheless, or Elliot, probably the person she was closest too." His face looked sympathetically at him. "I'm pretty sure you can figure out what she decided.

"But after that whole ordeal, she was never the same. I still look at her, wondering if she'll ever get over it. She's too noble for her own good." Walter gave another warning glare at Ben. "Do not take this lightly, Ben. You may think you know how Juliette acts or feels, but actually know her before you start making assumptions."

With that, Walter left down the streets, leaving Ben with mixed emotions. At that moment, previous feelings seem to. . . dissolve, in a way. Juliette was definitely an ice princess, which he was certain at first was just how she was, but now he was having second thoughts. Was she only acting like that because of her past?

The faces of his brothers appeared in his mind. The blokes had deserved their ends, but they were still his brothers. He remembered describing them to Juliette. He would never show it, but he missed them more than anything.

Maybe finally, he could understand her a little more.

* * *

**ONE MONTH LATER**

After over a month of tasks ranging from a simple job of delivering a rather insulting letter to helping a trio of nerds rescue a piece of cardboard, lots of creatures and mercenaries, and a handful of cuts and bruises, some resulting in scars, Juliette felt exhausted. Who could blame her? Everytime she felt she'd proven her heroism to Page, the stubborn girl just sent her off again. Juliette was beginning to wonder if Page was doing this for her own amusement, that when she finally thought she'd won her support, she would completely turn the offer down.

For the millionth time, Juliette wandered down into the sewers underneath the Riveter's Rest into the Bowerstone Resistance headquarters. The guards allowed her to enter now, as well as their other allies. She began to make her way to the Resistance war room, when she came across Major Swift.

"Ah!" He remarked as she approached. "The rebel princess!"

"It's good to see you, Swift!" She greeted him with a smile. "Headed somewhere?"

"Just on my way to the castle to report to Logan. And hopefully find out some of his troop movements while I'm there."

"Well, just be careful while you're there." She warned him.

Swift chuckled, "I can handle myself, Juliette, but thank you for your concern."

"Where's Page?"

"Back in the war room." He replied, then chuckled again. "She and Ben have been arguing for the longest time. Not an intirely unexpected situation. Ben seems to have a way with the fairer sex. A strange troubled way." He wiggled his fingers at her in goodbye as he continued along his way.

Juliette approached the war room where the familiar voices of Ben and Page could be heard.

"I'm telling you!" Ben cried. "I downed three hollow men with one shot, it's true!"

"I've never trusted a soldier in my life." Page retorted. "I'm not gonna start now."

Ben groaned with annoyance, turning to Walter on the otherside of the room. "Will you tell her, Walter?"

"Hey!" Walter exclaimed, lifting his hands up in defense. "I'm not getting involved."

He noticed Juliette observing as she entered the room. "Look! There she is! Ask her yourself!"

Page's face was of complete utter irritation as she demanded, "Oh, give it a rest!"

"Fine!" Ben sighed in defeat. "I'll just stand here quietly then, shall I?"

Page rolled her eyes and turned to Juliette. "You know, for a princess, you're a pretty decent person. People out there are starting to believe in you."

_Starting? _Juliette thought to herself angrily. _I've worked my arse off for the past month to get you on my side!_

"I knew you two would get along in the end!" Walter said happily.

"Thank you for taking an interest in my social life, but we have even bigger problems now."

"Reaver."

"He's been bleeding the city dry for years, but it's never been this bad. We decided it was time to hit back."

"So what do you plan to do?" Juliette asked Page.

"A small group of revolutionaries snuck into his mansion, but they haven't returned. _I _believe they're alive. You're going to help me find them. Reaver hosts a secret society party every week. We don't know what goes on, but we know what the guests look like. It's the perfect chance to sneak in."

Page retrieved a brown parcel from her dresser and handed it to her. "You'll have to wear this."

Juliette opened the package to find an elaborate white and gold dress, complete with a hat and fox mask.

"Great!" Ben remarked. "Where's my costume?" All he got in return was an emotionless glare from Page.

"What? I still can't come?" He complained. "Even after the three hollow men story? Honestly! This is as bad as the army!"

"Now everyone out." Page ordered. "I have a party to dress for."

Ben eyed her mischievously as he stated, "I'll stay and make sure no one spies on you."

She gave him daggers as she stated firmly. "Everyone. Out."

With a disappointed face, Ben headed for the door.

"You know, I'm beginning to have serious doubts about our relationship!" He called to her, making her sigh with annoyance. He muttered one more thing as he left, "I knew I should've gone up to the castle with Swiftie."

"I just love how soldiers can come in and out of our 'secret' hideout now." Page complained to Juliette as Ben and Walter exited the room. "Whatever you do, _please _don't let Mr. Finn follow you. I've had enough of him for one day. I'll see you at Reaver's manor."

* * *

An hour later in the Sanctuary, Jasper had helped her into her dress, piled her thick heavy curls up into her hat, letting a few frame her face, and helped apply a small coat of makeup.

"Finished!" Jasper exclaimed, looking rather proud of the makeover.

"Thank you, Jasper!" Juliette told him, swirling in her outfit in front of the mirror. The white and gold fabric shimmered in the Sanctuary's dim light. "You did amazing!"

"No one should recognize you." He assured. "Now, best get going, right? Don't want to miss the party."

She gave him a goodbye hug, teleporting back to the Bowerstone Resistance headquarters. She turned around to begin to head out, only to find herself facing Ben Finn.

Juliette gasped with surprise. Ben however, observed her silently. Out of shock by her suddenly manifesting, or stunned by her appearance, she wasn't sure. She quickly took a step back.

"Can I help you?" She asked him.

Ben snapped out of his trance. "Sorry, you just startled me."

"I apologize."

"How'd you do that? You just appeared out of nowhere."

She reached into her dress's pocket, pulling out a tiny circular object. It fit in her palm and glowed with a golden aura. The artifact practically hummed with life, like it was a living being.

"This is my father's Guild Seal." She explained. "I can travel to his Sanctuary and communicate with my friend, Jasper, with it."

Ben studied the Seal, touching it with his fingers. The Seal thrummed in her hand, making him recoil.

She giggled, "Are you honestly scared of a tiny artifact, Ben?"

"Course not!" He defended.

"Whatever." She smiled as she placed it back into her pocket. "So Page won't let you tag along?"

"Nope." He replied nonchalantly. "Didn't you hear the new law? Everyone's allowed to have fun but me!"

"I'm sure the pubs around Bowerstone are open indefinitely."

"Sure, that's okay, but an opportunity to murder the most cold-hearted snake in Albion while getting free booze? Who could turn that down?"

"Only you would be excited for that, Ben." Juliette joked.

The two laughed together, when Walter came up and placed a hand on Juliette's shoulder.

"You might want to start heading to Millfields. Page already left, and you don't want to keep her waiting."

Juliette began to leave the base, listening to Ben pester Walter on her way.

"Come on, Walter, let's play a game." He said happily.

"No." Walter refused.

"Quick game of cards?"

"No!"

"A quick game of Feeble! You can't possibly say no to Feeble!"

"Oh shut up, Ben!"

* * *

Juliette opened the gates into Reaver's mansion, receiving permission from the guards that protected the property. The manor was beautiful, decorated with a lush garden, a sparkling pond, and a white marble statue of no one other than Reaver. Most of the windows were dim, despite the fact there was a party going on inside. Standing outside stood Page, unrecognizable compared to her normal appearance. She wore a ruffled dress, heels, and a tall unflattering wig like the ones the nobles strangely found fashionable.

"Hmm." She sighed contently as Juliette approached. "That really does suit you. Brings out the color in your eyes. Shall we?" Page gestured to the door.

The two entered the manor to find a mess. All available surfaces, ranging from tables, the stairs, and even the piano, were cluttered with wine bottles, spirits, and champagne glasses. Nobles were stumbling around throwing up all nasty things they'd consumed, and others were passed out drunk on the floor and couches. Streamers and confetti of multiple colors littered the floor. A ginger man walked down the stairs, scowling at them as they walked in.

"Bit late, aren't you?" The impatient looking man said. "You missed half the rituals and all the drinking. All we got left is fizzy pop!" The man had one blue and one brown eye, and his speech impediment confused his 'r's and 'w's.

"Um. . ." Page stuttered. "We apologize."

"Oh yeah?" The man muttered. "Just give me the password, and we'll forget all about it, alright?"

Confusion and a hint of fear crossed Page's face. "Uh. . . the password?"

The man laughed at her, "Naw, I'm just pulling yer leg, come on in!" He gestured them to follow him as he began to walk up the staircase.

"Master Reaver will be happy to have a few more _conscious _people around for the final ceremonies. I wasn't kidding about the fizzy pop, though. These lightweights drank the lot! The name's Barry Hatch by the way," The servant, whose name was apparently Barry Hatch, said. "There's probably some cooking sherry left in the kitchen if you're desperate. No? Don't blame ya. Never touch the stuff myself, well, 'cept in the mornings."

Page rolled her eyes as Barry talked on while they walked to the ballroom. The dining room that entered was as equally messy as the foyer. Upon the table, it seemed the guests hadn't actually _eaten _anything, taking booze as their main course.

"I can sort out a nice orgy later on, should the mood take you, what do ya say?" He asked mischievously.

"Just keep walking!" Page replied immediately and firmly, murmuring to herself, "You strange little man. . ."

"Of course, of course." Barry replied. They began to approach a set of heavy oak doors in the hall. "You'll have to pardon me, miss. I do have the habit of spouting the odd vulgarity. Master Reaver has often brought out his whip to rectify that very flaw with my character."

He stopped at the door, then turned to face them. "It's just through here. You'll have such fun! Not drinks-and-orgies fun, but it'll be a real laugh, I'm sure."

Unease stirred within Juliette's stomach at his statement. It was like he knew something they didn't, which considering the fact this mission involved _Reaver, _it didn't seem odd.

"Now, there are some ground rules: Master Reaver _insists_ that no one brings weapons into the ballroom. There have been some accidents."

"I'm afraid we'll need to keep ours." Page refused. "We're here to find some friends."

Barry's face lit up. "Oh! You're the brave, noble rebels! Why didn't you say so? I'm an oppressed proletarian myself, you know! We're practically comrades."

That really set the alarm off. Why would a loyal servant of Reaver dare to rebel?

He bowed down to the doors. "If you just go through these doors, you can sneak past the party and rescue your fellow revolutionaries." He straightened up, heading back the way they came.

As Barry disappeared, Page opened up the doors to the ballroom. Before them, to their surprise, there was only an empty room; no furniture, people, noises, or even a mess seen throughout the rest of the mansion. There was only one thing in the ballroom: a large metal cage holding a familiar man inside.

"There's one of my men!" Page cried, running to the cage. The man stood up quickly as he heard her voice.

"Kidd!" Page gasped. "Are you alright?"

"Get out, now!" Kidd demanded as Juliette ran up.

"Where are the others?" Page asked frantically, not taking his warning into consideration.

"All dead!" Kidd told them harshly. "Reaver knew you'd come! He's been waiting for you!"

Suddenly, the metal cage rumbled, the sound of a mechanism beginning to function. Slowly, it began to lift into the air as Page whispered, "What?"

"I'll get him out." Juliette promised, keeping her grasp on the steel bars.

"My, my, my!" The cold recognizable voice of Reaver jested as Juliette began to suspend in the air with the cage. He stood on a balcony above the ballroom, surrounded by nobles wearing masquerade costumes and the smirking Barry Hatch. "More busy little bees here to steal Reaver's honey. So industrious! So committed! So bloody annoying! When will you people learn to enjoy life?"

"I'll enjoy killing you, does that count?" Page growled from below. Juliette tried to climb up the bars, but they were slippery, and her silk gloves weren't helping. She could feel her arms getting weaker.

"You're just full of spunk, aren't you?" Reaver smirked. "A true heroine! You must be _lightning _under the bedsheets."

"You leave her alone!" Kidd spat.

"And now, as promised," Reaver continued, ignoring Kidd's angry remark. "The evening's _pièce de la résistance! _Another piece of the resistance." He chuckled as he moved the cage's mechanism, making the cage continued it's pathway up.

_"Viola!" _Reaver announced.

Juliette grunted as her arms gave out, falling back down into the ballroom next to Page.

"Do try to put on a good show for my guests, won't you?" Asked Reaver.

_"Show?" _Retorted Page. "You expect us to entertain _you?" _

"But of course!" He grinned from above. "It's just a game, my little sweet!"

"No!" A man's voice spoke out.

Reaver faced his guests, looking specifically at a nobleman who stood near the back.

"What's this?" Reaver asked. "One of my lovely guests trying to protect a _rebel? _

The man cowered in fear as the businessman gestured for him to come towards him. He walked up slowly as Reaver said, "If you're so desperate to save them, why don't you _join _them?"

"What?" The little man cried in fear. "No! - I- I can't!"

Reaver sighed with annoyance at the man. "Maybe next time, my dear little man, you should think of the consequences before you speak up."

He pulled out the pistol strapped to his thigh and shot the man in the head before he had a chance to scream.

"Now, if anyone else would like to join my little friends here, they are more than welcome to." Reaver addressed his guests.

At first, the guests stood quietly, but then someone else spoke up.

"I will." The familiar voice said.

Another man stepped out. His clothes were slightly different from the other nobles, and he was taller and buffer. He walked past Reaver, jumping down into the ballroom. As he landed, he stood up and removed his mask.

"You didn't think I'd skip out on an opportunity like this, did you?" Ben asked the two shocked girls with a grin.


	6. Chapter 6 - Guns and Balverines

**Hello again! For this chapter, it's more of a filler, as I'm trying to get some spacing before we reach the next important scene in the game *cough**cough* ;) The rest of it will be finished in the next chapter, and I may add one other thing before **_**that scene.**_

_**Daydr3am3r-25 - **_**Thank you! :'D**

_**Feisty Totodile - **_**I used to like Elliot. . . then I started liking Ben. . . and it all went downhill from there lol XD I actually did know that! Lionhead Studios truly made the right choice when it came to picking an actor for Ben, and the same for the rest of the characters!**

**Thanks again for all the reviews and people who've favorited/followed my story! I love getting notifications that more people are enjoying the story so far!**

* * *

Reaver smirked from above at Ben. "Well, now, aren't you the hero?"

"You just don't know when to stop, do you?" Page muttered as Ben approached.

On the balcony, Reaver gestured to a large wheel that stood upon one of the walls. The exquisite device looked like a clock, but symbols replaced the numbers. "The Wheel of Misfortune!" He announced. "It's rather simple: I spin, you die, we watch! Really!" He began to laugh. "It's, it's a riot!"

Suddenly, the hand on the wheel began to spin. Soon, it landed upon a ghastly face.

Reaver grinned. "Why, no other than the most ugly, most obnoxious creatures ever to contaminate this world. _Super."_

To the right, a door opened up, revealing a hallway. Above, the party guests disappeared, and the door they'd entered shut tightly and clicked as it locked. With no other way to go, the three rebels walked through the new door. Unlike the rest of the beautiful mansion, the floor was dirt and the walls were made of cold red bricks. At the end of the hall, they emerged in what appeared to be a cave.

Reaver and his guests were perched up on another balcony.

"You will laugh, you will cry, you will have your sinews gnawed upon." Stated Reaver. "Bring out, the hobbes!"

Immediately, snarling could be heard. Emerging from the crevices, hobbes surrounded them, wearing raggedy old cloths for clothing and splintered wooden clubs for weapons. Their flesh was grey and when they growled, yellowed fangs became visible. Juliette pulled out her rifle, shooting the creatures as they dashed for the three. Page and Ben joined her as they fought.

"How in bloody hell did you even get here?" Juliette asked him as he shot beside her.

Ben grinned. "Let's just say I did some breaking and entering into some poor bloke's house and when he wakes up, he'll find himself a little short on clothes."

She laughed once as her blade sunk down into one of the hobbes' skulls.

"Honestly, though." He continued. "You don't know me well enough if you don't expect me to find a way to get here." As another hobbe appeared, Ben fired a clean shot through his head, sending him flying down the cave's pit.

The waves of the creatures kept continuing. Oddly enough, a few of them had managed to get a hold of shotguns, and once one appeared with enough brains to control magic. As the hobbes advanced on them, Juliette began to charge her own spells.

"Stand close!" She ordered her allies. Ben and Page pressed their backs against hers, shooting and swinging at anything that came close to them. Juliette let out a roar, releasing her fiery vortex onto the adversaries. The waist-high creatures were thrown up in the windstorm, crashing into the cave walls and their fellow hobbes. Their bones cracked in the winds, and when the storm died down, they laid limp on the floor.

The silence was broken with a chuckle from Reaver.

"One almost feels sorry for those repugnant beasts." He stated. "Then one shrugs and waits for the next piece of carnage."

Just then, the door that led back to the empty ballroom opened again. Reaver and the nobles left, and the three returned back to the Wheel.

* * *

Many hours passed. Reaver's wretched Wheel of Misfortune decided their fate. After the hobbes, the three rebels found themselves facing hollow men, mercenaries, and mysterious sand creatures that _none _of them had ever faced, Sand Furies, by what Reaver called them. They were very agile and quick; it was nearly impossible to avoid their attacks if one could not roll away to safety in time.

The last of the sand ladies dissolved into the sand that filled the chamber. All of them were scratched and bruised from their never ending battle. Their clothing was ripped and splashed with a variety of substances; blood, a sickly green goo that covered hollow men, water, mud, and much more. Juliette's muscles were sore, and she was beginning to feel tired from her exertion of magic. Reaver and his guests were of no help as they fought; the whole time, Barry commentated on their performance with an obnoxious tone.

"What now?" Page asked them after the creatures were defeated. "We can't keep fighting forever!"

"I think we're nearly finished. . ." Juliette gasped as they emerged into the ballroom.

"You holier-than-thou idealists," Reaver called from above. "Always thinking in the most simple, most binary of ways. But, I quite agree; this game grows tiresome, and my guests, they grow. . . restless."

From behind Reaver, Barry got another of his mischievous smiles as he eyed the woman next to him. Reaver's Wheel began to spin again, the three exhausted rebels eyeing it intently to see what monstrous creatures they'd have to fight next. The Wheel's hand finally landed on another monster. Juliette studied it, realizing with fear what it was.

Suddenly, a growl sounded from above, including the scared yells of Barry Hatch.

"Ay! Reaver! H-help!" The man cried to his master. Beside him, a tall, lanky, dark monster towered over Barry, staring at him with hungry eyes. The creature leaped on Barry, and like the mercenary in the Mistpeak woods, it ripped him to shreds as he cried with a strangled gasp underneath.

Reaver hardly flinched as he scolded, "Do you brutes know how hard it is to find good staff?"

The balverine lifted up its now bloody head, glaring down at the trio, a look of shock and fear on their faces.

"Still. . ." Reaver sighed. "One mustn't complain. What's the use of a secret society without a little secret, after all?"

The balverine howled and jumped down into the ballroom, it's hungry eyes laid upon them. Above, more of the guests ripped out of their clothing, transforming into the beasts and joining in the ballroom.

"This can't be happening. . ." Gasped Page. "What are they?"

Neither Ben or Juliette answered. The beasts were even faster than the Sand Furies; they could jump high into the air as you tried to attack and land behind you in the next second. Their swords were useless; all three of them pulled out their firearms, shooting the balverines with the best accuracy they could deliver.

"How are we going to get out of this?" Juliette asked Ben nervously as they shot from their rifles. She remembered the bandits in the woods were not able to take down a few of them by themselves.

"Stay close, and hope you hit them in the right places." He replied. As a balverine tried to rush at him, Ben shot it in between the eyes. The beast fell limp, replaced by two more.

More of the balverines were swept up in another of Juliette's windstorms, slamming into each other and the ballroom walls. Unfortunately, many of them survived, yet weakened from the storm.

She pulled out her blade, slicing the creatures down to the ground. Page and Ben's shots fired behind her while she massacred the fallen beasts. She sheathed her sword, looking up to the two with exhaustion.

"This is the last party I take _you _too." She sighed.

Suddenly, Page's eyes filled with fear.

"Look out!" She cried.

Juliette grabbed her sword hilt in surprise, suddenly aware of another presence. She turned her head behind her just as another balverine landed right behind her, howling into her ears. Another gunshot rang, and the balverine's head exploded. She cautiously walked away from it's still squirming body, careful to make sure it was dead. It howled once more before finally falling limp. Behind her, Page breathed heavily, her smoking pistol in her shaking hand.

Their heads flashed back up to Reaver as he said, "Well, you've made me out to be a somewhat poor host. Rather rude of you to dispose of all my guests!"

Page glared up at him, raising her gun.

"Now it's _your _turn, Reaver." She growled, firing the gun another time. Suddenly and absolutely impossibly, Reaver flicked the bullet away with his cane like it was a mere annoying bug. The little bullet went flying back at them, landing at the feet of the shocked rebels.

"Oh my dear girl," He cooed. "Let's stop all this bickering. The four of us could go up to my quarters and have a private party!"

"Do you have any idea who this is?" Page retorted, gesturing to Juliette. "It's Logan's sister, the princess!"

Juliette frowned at Page. How could she give her identity away like that when she's so focused on not being caught by Logan's men?!

"The king's sister, a bona fide Hero." Reaver chuckled, staring at Juliette. "Well, I wouldn't _dream _of coming between siblings! Well, that's not strictly true, there was that time. . ." He began to turn around, a dreamy look on his face, and headed back through the double doors behind him. "Anyway! Best of luck with this whole _revolution _lark."

Page angrily fired another bullet that missed, yelling after him, "Hey! Come back!"

"Perhaps we'll meet again one day!" He called, ignoring her and shutting the door behind him with a, "Tatty-bye!"

Juliette sheathed her sword again as Page muttered, "Bloody coward. . !"

Above them, the cage Kidd had been trapped suddenly began rattling. "Will someone _please _mind getting me out of here now?" He shouted down to the three.

* * *

Another hour passed as Ben and Page worked to get Juliette hoisted up onto the balcony Reaver and his guests had been perched on. Once she had pulled herself up, she pulled the cage's mechanism down, lowering the cage until it landed back down in the ballroom. Ben worked through the lock, using Page's hairpins to pick it. Finally, the padlock snapped off, clattering to the floor. They found Kidd absolutely fine, a few cuts and bruises, but fine other than that.

Outside, the sun was just peeking over the horizon, illuminating Bower Lake with fresh sunlight. Page turned around to Ben and Juliette with a sympathetic look.

"I think I have some apologizing to do." She admitted. "I never thought that a noble or soldier would ever help me, or the downtrodden. You proved me wrong when you and Mr. Finn came along. I have only one more request before I accept to assist you in overthrowing your brother.

"Promise to change things when you take the throne; poverty, children forced to work, people living in fear, you have to make it stop."

Juliette offered her hand to Page, "I promise."

They shook hands formally as the sun began rising. Page even gave Ben one as well, though she didn't seem too happy about making contact with him.

"Good." Page smiled. "We should head back. We've got a revolution to plan."

* * *

They trudged through the Millfields forests. The woods were strangely quiet; no howls rose in the distance and the roads were deserted. Eventually, they made it to Bowerstone, sneaking through the roads to avoid attention. Soon, they entered into the safe haven of the Resistance headquarters. Kidd gave them his thanks as he Page walked off.

Ben exhaled beside her before returning to his cocky grin.

"Well that was. . . exhausting." He gasped.

"Couldn't restrain yourself, could you?" Juliette remarked with a smirk.

"You guys needed my help! I took down most of Reaver's lackeys anyway. You guys would've been mutilated if I hadn't shown up!"

"_You _took care of most of them? Where were you when I took out all those hobbes? And that mercenary that would've lopped your head off had I not shot his first?"

"That balverine was about to make you dinner!"

"Page killed him, did she not? You certainly didn't help at all!"

Ben returned a smirk to her. "Well, obviously there isn't enough room in Albion for two amazing marksmen, huh? Only one person can take the crown for _that, _which I'm certain we all know is yours truly."

She frowned at him. "Is that a challenge?"

"Only if you're up to it."

Juliette grinned. "Fine. This afternoon, how about we go on a little mercenary massacre? Then you can see who truly is the best marksman in Albion."

"Sure you can handle that without getting stuck in a tree?"

Her face turned red with anger. "Maybe those smugglers from Bloodstone will be there and will be ready to kick your arse!"

"They'll see the ground quicker before they can see my handsome face!"

Juliette opened her mouth to throw another remark, but she couldn't find one. Ben smiled with satisfaction at her loss for words.

"Don't start a war without any ammunition, princess." He said sarcastically. He turned around to head further into the base, a lighter spring in his step.

Juliette frowned angrily, calling after him, "Oh, shut up, Ben!"

* * *

"Sound the alarm! There are intruders!"

Suddenly, the heavy clashing of a bell sounded. Mercenaries popped out of their damp cabins, tired and confused and possibly a little hungover. They retrieved their swords and firearms as soon as they saw Ben and Juliette. The camp was nestled away in the Silverpines forest, visible from Bower Lake. The lookout men had hardly given the warning before they met their ends.

As one came close, aiming with a pistol, Ben rose his rifle and shot the doomed bandit straight in the head. As the man fell, more mercenaries showed up behind him. Others were perched up in lookouts, firing at the two with very cruddy aim. Annoyed only at their shooting skills, Juliette aimed her own gun at a conveniently placed barrel of gunpowder beside them. Her bullet shot straight through the casing, and the bandits went flying through the air, along with scraps of shrapnel.

Beside her, Ben observed her with confusion.

"What do you want, Finn?" She asked him with irritation in her tone.

"Since when do you wear a _dress _willingly?" He shouted over the gunshots.

Before they'd set out, Juliette had changed out of her masquerade costume and switched into her old practical princess suit. It was odd for her; she hadn't worn a dress since Brightwall, save for Reaver's party. Even stranger, she'd actually chosen _heels _as her footwear.

"Does it matter? And you chose now to ask?" She replied. Another mercenary headed her way. As he tried to get close, she shot his legs, incapacitating him. The bandit fell to the ground, and as he glanced up at her, he found a bullet in his brain.

Ben smirked. "No, it doesn't, but it does provide a lovely view amongst blood and explosives."

"Just shoot, you persistent arse!" She called, killing a man sneaking up behind him. Ben whirled around as the man let out a cry.

"That's _twice _nowI save your life because you don't pay attention." Juliette remarked.

"Are you certain that I'm the only one that doesn't pay attention?" He replied, shooting one of his looks in her direction.

She smirked in return, shooting her rifle over her shoulder as another mercenary came up behind her as well. Ben laughed in response.

"Okay, I'll give you that, but can you do this?" He asked her. A bandit rushed forward, but before he could swing his sword, Ben kicked him in the crotch, quickly grabbing the stunned mercenary's shoulder, threw him to the ground, and shot his head.

Juliette scoffed. "Hardly worth a clap!" Another adversary appeared in front of her, making annoying remarks. Before he could shout another at her, Juliette flipped herself onto his shoulders, snapping his neck between her thighs.

Below, Ben took his rifle at an approaching enemy, quickly shooting him in both arms and legs before firing a blow to his stomach. Juliette hopped down from the now dead man, strapping her rifle to her back and switching to her pistol. Not too soon afterwards, another enemy showed up. She threw her pistol over his head and rolled over behind him. The distracted bandit watched as she caught the pistol behind him and shot him through his skull.

The next hour was filled with a competitive air as Ben and Juliette both dispatched their enemies with ruthless and beautiful efficiency. The mercenary gang diminished as they continued through the camp. The ones that remained were joined by their towering leaders, bulky and strong, their bodies covered with tattoos and bulging muscles. The bullets the two fired at them hardly seemed to hurt them, but after a few more shots, they too joined their men to the grave. The remaining bandits got a scared look on their faces as they watched their leaders fall to the ground.

"And now for the grand finale. . ." Juliette smiled. Both rose their firearms at the rest of their adversaries. Suddenly, all of them went flying through the air as a line of explosives went off. The gunpowder barrels disintegrated into ash, along with the scorched corpses of the bandits. Smoke, shrapnel, and screams filled the air, then died down, leaving a desecrated mercenary base.

Juliette grinned from ear to ear as she balanced her rifle on her shoulders with satisfaction.

"I win." She joyfully said.


	7. Chapter 7 - A Hero Always Wins

**Don't hate me. I know, it's been two months since I've updated. I sowwy ): I went through a little bit of writer's block, even though I've already decided what will happen in this story. And, I'll admit it, I've been in a big Dragon Age mood for the past two or three weeks, and haven't been feeling it for Fable, thus expanding my hiatus :/ HOWEVER! After this chapter, I'm posting two more chapters! I'll have them uploaded within the next two days, so be sure to check! They'll be short, but I hope it sort of makes up for the wait.**

_**Fiesty Totodile - **_**Thank you! And that's such a relief you think that, because I'm so worried I'm making Ben OOC. Yes, I would've loved if the Mourningwood arc was longer, because it is another of my favorite parts ):**

_**meowcow - **_**Thank you so much! I've been on a hiatus, but I swear I won't be giving up on this until it's complete!**

**Guests**

_**Awesome/Flippin great **_**(I assume you're the same person xD) - IKR! Best. Party. EVER! Fighting, drinks, Reaver, Ben, Barry, etc = AWESOME. There are so many characters that should be in any upcoming Fable. Lol, Page can go suck a Smurf ;) Thank you SOOO much for this nice review, it really lifted my spirits up!**

_**Guest - **_**Aww, thanks! Believe it or not, I did know Nicholas Hoult was Elliot, because I recognized his voice in Warm Bodies, and I was like "HOLY COW IT'S ELLIOT!" Again, thank you so much!**

**A thank you to everyone who's waited so patiently for this story, I know I don't deserve it.**

* * *

"_You _won?" Ben retorted. "Since when are you the judge?"

Juliette frowned. "I took those bandits down faster than you could reload your own rifle!"

Ben rose a finger with a _tsk. _"But you're also forgetting that this was a competition of _accuracy, _and if I remember clearly, you killed one with your bare hands."

"Does it matter?" She replied.

"Yes, it actually does, princess." He stated. "Therefore that makes me the best marksman in Albion."

Juliette about let out another statement to argue over, but stopped and sighed in defeat. "Fine. You win."

Ben smiled over his victory, when suddenly the tip of Juliette's sword was pointed just under his Adam's apple.

"But can you beat a swordswoman?" She countered.

His shocked expression changed to smirk as his hand pushed the blade from his throat. Ben unsheathed his own cutlass and maneuvered into stance. He flashed Juliette a grin as he whipped the weapon in her direction. Easily, she blocked his attack, giving her own sword a little bounce that made Ben's cutlass recoil from the impact. Quickly, she sliced her blade across his shoulder, leaving a clean rip through his shirt.

As Ben regained control, he let out of chuckle. "If you wanted to rip my clothes off, princess, all you had to do was ask."

"Shut up, Captain."

"Oh, so we're back to Captain now, are we?" He asked her, blocking her next attack.

"I'll start calling you Ben again once you stop calling me 'princess'." She retorted.

"You'll be waiting a long time." He replied, swinging his sword. "Nothing amuses me more than to see your face flush so with anger."

"So that's it, huh?" Juliette asked. "You just see me as a toy you can play with?"

"I could be more, if you like."

Juliette groaned as she swiftly made another cut onto Ben's leg. He winced in pain as she commented, "I think you're forgetting about something you told me not too long ago."

"I am, am I?" He asked her with a smirk.

"Surely you haven't forgotten? The one where you aren't supposed to be a jackass?"

Ben pondered for a while. "'Course I remember." He stated. "But I'm sure that part of the deal was that you weren't going to act like a bitch."

"Hmm." She sighed in reply. "What can I say? I guess it's genetic."

Suddenly, Juliette swung her sword in an underhand fashion. The blade crashed with Ben's, and the impact was so strong his sword flew up into the air. As the weapon began to fall back down, the two reached for it, but Juliette's hand found the hilt first. In the next second, she had the blade lined with Ben's throat and her own pointed at his head.

She returned a smirk to him. "Must be where I get my skills as well. You know, the ones you lack?"

Ben frowned at her, "Okay, okay." He grumbled in defeat. "Can you get that sword away from me now?"

Juliette stepped back and tossed Ben's sword back to him. He sheathed in back at his side as Juliette began to walk away with a happy tone in her step.

"You do realize that you beat me only because you're a Hero, right?" He called.

She laughed and swung her head back to look at him. "If _you _knew that, you shouldn't have challenged me! Oh, and while we're admiring over my Heroic abilities, those cuts will take a few days to scar, since you also seem to lack Hero blood."

She heard Ben catch up behind her, and snickered when she heard him mumble, "_I'm _supposed to be the witty one. . ."

* * *

Juliette transported back to the Sanctuary to change out of her blood splattered regal attire and changed into the comfy clothing of her highwaymen suit. When she returned, the skies were becoming grey over Bowerstone. By the time she reached the entrance to the Resistance, a light drizzle had begun.

Inside, a panicky mood was hazed over the members of the Resistance.

_What's wrong? _Juliette asked herself. Ahead, she saw Walter and talking with Page, a worried look on his face.

"Walter?" She called. Walter turned and ran over to her.

"Juliette," He began.

"What's going on?" She interrupted.

"It's Major Swift." He told her. "He hasn't returned since you went to Reaver's party. It's been over twelve hours."

"We think Logan either discovered he was a rebel, or is questioning him along with others for information that might be useful in finding us." Page cut in.

"Ben got here earlier," Walter added. "The town crier said the king had an announcement to make at the castle."

"So we have another task for you;" Said Page. "Go to the castle and see what Logan has to say. Ben will meet you there. After that, find Swift. If our suspicions are correct, he'll either be in the dungeon or the barracks."

"You're not coming?" Juliette asked.

"I would, but there's a reason we stay underground."

"And Logan would have me killed on the spot." Walter piped in.

"What's to stop him from recognizing me?"

"The last time he saw you, you were much shorter, weaponless, and closer to a child. Now he'll see you as a tall young citizen who came to hear his speech."

Juliette sighed. "I'll see to it, then."

"We'll meet you here when it's over, all right?" Page reminded her. "Good luck."


	8. Chapter 8 - Stone Cold

**Here is Part 2/3 of the stuff I wrote in my two month hiatus.**

**_angelacm - _Thank you for the welcome! Yes, yes, Dragon Age is sooo addictive, I honestly can't believe how much time I invest in it! Personally, my fav character from DA:O was Zevran and DA:2 was Varric. Writer's block = the bane of all writers. It's funny when it pops up even though you know what to write, lol :) Ah, Ben, he IS a smartass, but that's why I love him :) I hope you'll be intrigued by what I do, but I'll leave that to your own thoughts. Again, thank you so much! /hugs  
**

_**swaggedoutkidd -**_** Really? Daww, thanks! I'm glad I'm making their relationship realistic in other people's eyes, and hoping it isn't too fast or anything. Don't worry, you'll find out in this chapter and tomorrow's, and thank you again!**

**All my appreciation goes out to my readers :)**

* * *

The citizens of Bowerstone, Millfields' nobles, and inhabitants of close regions had come to hear Logan's speech. They were walking up the gravel path to the castle. Ben was waiting at the foot of the path, dressed in brown pants and a white shirt.

"Do you have any idea what this is about?" He asked when she approached.

"Not a clue." She replied. "I assume you know the plan?"

"Sneak in, find Swift, and leave without them noticing like a thief in an alleyway."

Juliette smiled approvingly. Logan's soldiers ushered them along, and they began the trek to Juliette's old home.

* * *

By the time they reached the castle grounds, the grey skies had changed from a drizzle to a moderate rainfall. Albion's citizens were crowded together in front of the castle. Apprehensively, Juliette glanced up to see the ominous figure of Logan, and next to him, Reaver.

_Avo, please don't let them recognize me. _She prayed as she cowered against the crowd.

"Citizens of Albion," Logan began. "Traitors walk amongst us. Yes, traitors! They plot to end us, and would have you believe their cause is _noble_.

"They may look like your friends, your family, they may even look like your most loyal servants." Logan stopped, and gestured to one of his men. "Bring out the traitor." He ordered.

The soldier nodded once, then began to shuffle a man out of the crowd and onto the stairs to the castle. Once the man was in their sights, Juliette and Ben gasped.

"_This," _Logan sneered. "This is the face of a traitor." He pointed an accusing finger at the blue and black Swift, dressed in only torn up rags, with wounds covering all his exposed skin.

Beside her, Ben was frozen and his face pale.

"Swift. . ." He breathed silently.

"Major Swift, a respected member of the army, and sworn servant of the kingdom, has plotted against us all. He was caught attempting to turn loyal soldiers against us, and is thus charged with espionage, treason, and conspiracy."

Ben angrily scoffed. Juliette's own mind filled with anger as Logan continued, Reaver smirking beside him.

"Yet there are still others darkening our land with their betrayal." Logan gestured again at the soldier. The soldier grabbed Swift's arm, moving him up along the stairs. "Let this be a warning to all: we shall hunt these traitors down, wherever they may be."

Suddenly, realization hit Juliette like a bullet. Her breath caught in her throat. She was sure Ben realized it too, but he was still paralyzed in shock. She began to move through the crowd, pushing people out of her way.

"And they shall suffer the same fate as Major Swift," Logan remarked angrily.

Juliette found her way to the opposite side of the crowd and quickly jumped up onto the stone railing.

"The fate of all enemies to the throne!"

She unsheathed her pistol from her side just as the soldier did. Juliette quickly fired a bullet, but it was too late. Both Swift and Logan's elite slumped to the ground, their blood and rain dripping down the staircase.

Around her, the world went to chaos. The crowd's minds processed what just happened before them. They screamed and began to run. The rest of Logan's soldiers began to move immediately, trying to move through the running crowd to reach Juliette's perch. She glanced back up to Logan and Reaver, who stared her down, no surprise in their cold eyes.

"_Injustice!" _She screamed at Logan. She hopped back into the crowd, searching frantically for Ben. She found him eventually, being pushed from the castle grounds by the panicked people. Juliette grabbed his arm and began to drag him away from the soldiers searching for her still in the mass of people.

They ran down the beaten path until Bowerstone Market came into view. The citizens had cleared out more, running into their homes and shops. The guards in the market and Logan's elite could point her out now. Quickly and swiftly, she and Ben ducked into one of the alleyways and hid behind a pile of crates.

"You. . ." Ben gasped as they caught their breaths. "You shot Logan's soldier. . ."

"I couldn't let them just kill Swift!" She whispered fiercely. Suddenly, she could hear guards coming near the alley.

"You need to get back to the headquarters." She continued.

"What about you?"

"I'll distract them, maybe take a few out, hide, do anything until I get them off my trail."

Ben frowned. "You're more likely to get mutilated in the process,"

"It's a risk I'm willing to take. Besides, I am a Hero after all."

"Right, I shouldn't have said anything. . ."

Ben began to move when Juliette grabbed his arm.

"But if I'm not back in a few days," She told him. A crash sounded as the guards began to enter the alley.

"Assume I am dead."

She let go of his arm and gently shoved him away. Ben looked at her one last time, concern in his eyes, then nodded and slunk away.


	9. Chapter 9 - Escaping

**Finally, Part 3/3 in the bits of writing I wrote in my two month hiatus. After this, the chapters will be longer, I swear.**

_**angelacm -**_** I'm glad you think so! Oh, believe me, I think she has some ideas. . . hint hint, wink wink ;) Thanks again for the reviews you leave!**

**Thank you again for the millionth time to everyone who's stuck with me so far :)**

* * *

Juliette could hear the soldiers break their way through the alley.

"Come out, you bloody traitor!" One taunted. "I'll slice you open like a melon!"

She kept her ears open, listening intently as their footsteps got closer. Swiftly, she stood up, her pistol pointed at the group of men, and fired three quick shots. Each one struck a different victim, who choked in pain. Before they hit the ground, she bolted down the alleyways. The guards who'd seen her attack chased after her. Their bulky uniforms and large rifles slowed them down, and as quickly as Juliette had killed the men, she'd disappeared back into the shadows.

Juliette skulked through Bowerstone until she reached the Old Quarter. Though her intervention in Swift's execution had happened nearly two hours earlier, the city guard hadn't given up their search yet.

Unfortunately, Juliette was unaware they'd had moved all over Bowerstone. She stealthily emerged from the dankly alleys, only to come face to face with another group of Logan's elite.

_Persistent, aren't they? _She thought to herself as two unsheathed their swords and the others loaded their rifles. She dashed down through the dirty Old Quarter streets. Suddenly, she remembered that at the end of the Old Quarter, the entrance to the noble district was gated away. She would be running into a dead end.

_Got to think of something - and fast! _

She frantically searched the streets. The homes were tightly packed together; there were no more alleyways to fade into. Ahead, the Old Quarter residents were panicking, locking themselves into their homes and hiding behind their stalls, like Juliette was a reign of terror. More guards seemed to be spawning out of no where. They were covering the grounds.

Just then, an idea clicked in her head.

Juliette dodged the blade of a sword from a nearby guard, and began to run towards one of the houses.

_If this idea fails, then it better go down in history as one of the best attempted escapes ever._

She jumped up the stairs to the house, then leaped up and grabbed the top of the door frame. Juliette pulled herself up and grabbed the windowsill of the second floor window. She saw a bullet hit the brick beside her.

_Avo, does everyone in Albion have horrid accuracy? _

Through the window, the family that lived there screamed as they watched her climb up their house. Finally, Juliette reached the top of the building. She pulled herself onto the roof and grabbed her pistol again. She finished off a few of the awestruck guards before she began to run again. Juliette leapt across the roofs of more Old Quarter buildings, occasionally shooting more guards as they tried to incapacitate her.

Soon, the homes began to grow more distant as the Old Quarter changed into the cleaner, more sophisticated Market. Quickly, Juliette climbed down the back of the home. Back in her safe zone, she snuck through the backstreets, heading towards Millfields.

As she slunk through the shadows, she managed to overhear another group of guards patrolling the streets for her.

"That damn bitch," One sneered. "She's been killing almost everyone!"

"I hear Logan's pretty fired up about it." The other said. ""He's been complaining that now he has to pay for more guards for the army."

_Why would Logan need an army to take over the Resistance? _Juliette thought to herself.

"Too bad she failed." The first guard retorted. "Connor managed to shoot the Major clean in the head before she killed him."

_Oh God, Ben. _She thought remorsefully. How was she going to tell him?

Eventually, the trio of guards move down the street and out of Juliette's hearing range.

An hour later, the road to Millfields changed into a broken cobblestone road. Juliette watched behind her as the sun faded behind the Market. None of the guards had noticed her; she was safe.

Suddenly, she felt a large pair of arms grab her from behind. She nearly cried out in shock, but her assaulter covered her mouth with his hand. Juliette struggled against their strong arms, willing her Hero strength to kick in. She bit into the attacker's hands, but his grip didn't weaken. Her assaulter then threw Juliette to the ground. She pulled out her gun again and pointed it at the man, then gasped.

She was staring not only at the barrel of a gun, but also the cold dark eyes of her brother, Logan.

Juliette was speechless. She kept a poker face as she stared intently at her emotionless brother.

_Shoot me. _She challenged him mentally. _I dare you. Show Albion how heartless you are._

Logan dug his eyes into hers, then sheathed his gun.

"You don't know what you're doing, Juliette." Was all he said. For a moment, some sort of regret seemed to shine in his obsidian eyes. "I wanted to protect you from the darkness. . ."

He turned back down the street, leaving Juliette shocked.


End file.
